USAG Women

The Twisters train in the newest and largest facility in the greater St. Louis area. Midwest Twisters Gymnastics Gym is designed specifically for training gymnasts of all levels and in the safest manner possible. Twisters' many in-ground features include: 2 Trampolines, 2 Foam Pits, 50' Tumbl-Trak, Multiple Resi Pits, and 2 Trench bars. With 4 Vaults, 14 Beams, 14 sets of bars an oversized Spring Floor and 80' rod floor, Midwest Twisters is also the area's best-equipped.

Midwest Twisters has established itself as one of the top programs in Illinois and is recognized nationally having produced hundreds of State, Regional, and National Champions, including 3-time Jr Olympic National All-Around Champion and 2004 Pre-Elite National Champion, Vanessa Zamarripa. Heading into her 3rd year at UCLA on a full-ride scholarship, this 8-time All-American and Honor Roll Student is living her dream as one of NCAA’s top-ranked gymnasts. At the 2010 NCAA Championship, "Zam" led her team to Team Title posting the top AA of that session! She also grabbed yet another National Vault Title (5 and counting)for herself. Vanessa is enjoying her time off from collegiate gymnastics this summerto pursue another passion .... Elite Gymnastics! Vanessa has qualified to the Visa National Championships, but will compete first in the Cover Girl Classic held in Chicago next July 23, 24, 25. You can keep up with Vanessa's success at UCLA Bruins - Women's Gymnastics. Vanessa was also featured recently as One of the 50 Most Photogenic Gymnasts in the World by "Inside Gymnastics" (see photos of Vanessa below).

Midwest Twisters teams are coached by owner and Head Coach Mickey Orr & Jenny Hayden.

Coach Orr earned his Master's in Exercise Science at Syracuse University and completed all required course work for an Ed. D. in Kinesiology with a dual emphasis in Biomechanics and Motor Learning at the University of Northern Colorado. While at UNC on a doctoral assistantship, Orr coached the Women's Team to a 3rd Place NCAA II National Team finish in 1986. Following his success at UNC, Orr abandoned his original plan to become a University professor and coach collegiate gymnastics in favor of coaching at the club level. Orr moved to O'Fallon later in 1986 where he co-founded World Class Gymnastics in Fairview Hts. Before opening Midwest Twisters in 1997 Orr put World Class on the USAG national map producing hundreds of State, Regional, and National Champions including the all-time USAG Level 10 Compulsory Uneven Bar national record-holder (9.85), Missy Sheroky of Belleville. Orr also coached Jenni Koch of Florrissant who qualified to the 1992 USA Elite National Championships where she missed qualification to the US Junior National team by just .20. Orr is the only coach in southern Illinois to have produced Elite athletes in modern gymnastics history. He was voted Region 5 "Coach of the Year" in 1992 and 2004.

Our "Cyclones" Team offers girls the opportunity to enjoy competitive gymnastics with less of a time commitment and at a lower cost than their Twister counterparts. Cyclones compete locally in St. Louis' Ameri-Kids League. The Cyclones train and compete under the watchful eye of Head Coach Brittany Pfeiffer. Lots of fun and lots of success in competition makes the Cyclones a very special sorority. Our Cyclones practice between 4-12 hours per week allowing athletes ample time to pursue other activities and interests. Click here for more info.

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Twister Sisters: Twisters' Level 6 Team (above) shown chillin' before another big win - this time at the Crossroads Classic in Bloomington. Twisters L6's have defeated every team they have met this season! The young team was absolutely sensational at the 2010 L6 State Meet winning a total of 15 gold medals, 1 silver and 10 bronze including 2 Team Titles.

Mickey's L6 State Recap (March 2010):

Without exception the girls competed like the Champions they are. Each athlete made a significant contribution to our .125 victory over Balance Institute of Gymnastics (B.I.G.) as we came away with the big one - the 2010 Illinois L6 Super Team Title - 189.15 to 189.025. In addition to claiming the meet's top team honors, Bailey, Emma, Sydney, and Ciara combined to win the Youth Age Group Team Title as Cydni, Cameron, and Becca earned 3rd Junior Team!

The way the age groups and divisions broke down we had Emma, Bailey, Ciara, and Sydney competing in the Youth Age Group and Cydni, Becca, and Cameron competing as Juniors. We have no athletes in the senior age division.

In the Age Group Team competition the top 3 scores per event count toward team total. In the Super Team - the top 5 scores across all age groups count. Gymnastics seems unique in that team competitions are often conducted where team sizes are not limited or equated as they are in the Olympics or in other team sports. I would feel sorry for a soccer team of 5 that had to play a team of 10….anyway….. Twisters' "Magnificent 7" have been taking down teams twice their size all season....why should State be any different?

Emma & Bailey - Youth A Division
Twisters came out firing with Emma and Bailey starting Session 1 of 4 at bars with Emma hitting a tight set, showing big swing and good form, for a 9.55 and the State Title as Bailey went 9.45 to take the bronze. On Beam Emma was aggressive and steady which netted her a 9.45 and the bronze as Bailey won the gold (9.70) with another one of her amazing beam routines (Bailey scored a 9.875 at the St Louis Classic)! At Floor Bailey followed up with another gold medal and State Title scoring 9.475. Floor was not one of Emma's better routines (8.875), but still good enough to keep her in the All-Around contest. At Vault Emma (9.375) and Bailey (9.40) both had nice, stuck vaults for 4th and 3rd. Midwest Twisters went #1 and #3 in the Youth A Division AA as Bailey hit a season-high 38.025 to become the 2010 IL L6 AA Champ and Emma took the bronze with a 37.25 – BOOYAH!!!!

Ciara - Youth D Division
Ciara competed next. Starting at Floor she scored a 9.25 which didn’t seem like a medal-winning score at the time, but was good enough for the Silver. She followed up with a booming Vault and 9.525 for the gold. On bars her 9.25 was good enough for bronze. Ciara finished by nailing her beam routine for a 9.7 and another gold while simultaneously clinching AA gold and the 2010 Youth Age group Team Title – BOOYAH!!!!

After Ciara’s session the coach from BIG, Ben, who was watching and recording our scores, told me that we had clinched the Youth Team title (even though the Youth C session was yet to follow) and he believed it would be between BIG and Twisters for the Super Team. While I was optimistic about our chances, we had only 7 athletes competing and anything can happen. BIG had at least 15 gymnasts and there were other good teams with lots of kids, so I wasn’t ready to dismiss anybody or count any chickens.

Cydni - Junior A Division/ Becca & Cameron - Junior C Division
Cydni, Becca, Cameron started at Vault where Cydni went 8.9 and Cam and Becca finished 3rd & 4th (9.475 & 9.40). On Bars Cydni, after having struggled with her squat-on, hit her best set of the year and won the bronze medal with her 9.275. The tears of joy that followed along with the hug is one of the most touching moments in my coaching career. Jenny was about in tears and the judges nearly joined in… Becca, having made some big improvements on bars recently, was swinging big in competition and ended up with an unfortunate out of control swing and a .7 deduction to finish with an 8.5. Cameron would begin her string of 4 gold medals with a 9.50. At Beam Malone fell twice (probably dehydrated from the last event) and ended up with an 8.20. Becca who has emerged as a solid beam worker went 9.375 for the bronze but it was Cameron who stole the show with her 9.90!!! At the end of a flawless routine Cam did not get vertical on her dismount and for a moment we all flashed-back to the fall she had at GymQuarters. But, employing a variety of interesting bodily contortions, she managed to finish on the proper side of the beam. Personally, I think she was kindly sparing the officials from having to throw up 10’s. – BOOYAH!!!!

Finishing on Floor Malone turned in an 8.75, Becca an 8.95, and Cameron, despite taking two steps on her hands in her back extension, won Floor also with a 9.525! In the All-Around Becca was 5th (36.475) and Cameron won big with her season-high 38.40. Despite having only 3 athletes entered, and counting 3 major deductions, the Juniors finished 3rd in the age Group Team competition. – BOOYAH!!!!

Sydney - Youth C Division
Following this session, Ben informed me that they were leading in the Super Team by .05 and asked about the athletes we had remaining. When I told him just one, he smiled and told me he had 7. In the Super Team competition, after 3 sessions, we were counting as low scores a 9.375 on Vault, a 9.225 on Bars, a 9.375 on Beam, and an 8.875 on Floor- these were the scores Sydney needed to better to have an impact on our Super Team score. The usually squirrelly and loquacious “Squidney” (a cross between squirrelly and Sydney) was eerily calm and quiet – I sensed a calm before the storm.

Quiet little Sydney started on Vault while the 7-gymnast army from Big took went to bars. Sydney tied her personal best with a 9.30 but did not place and did not beat the 9.375 we retained as our 5th score on Vault. Ben revealed that they had not gained on bars either – Whew! No blood.

BIG rotated to Beam while Sydney hit the chalk tray. After an impressive warm-up, Sydney delivered with a 9.475 (1st place), erasing our 9.225 and adding a big .25 to our total. Comparing notes with Ben, it so happened that BIG also replaced a score or two and retained a .05 lead.

On Beam Sydney rocked her set for a 9.65 (1st place), replacing our 9.375 and adding another significant .275 to our total (Oh yeah, 2 routines before Sydney mounted, Jenny said she was feeling sick to her stomach. I ran and got her a Sprite and crossed my fingers). BIG did not keep pace on Floor and Sydney gave us a .15 lead with one rotation of 16 remaining…… This was it... The stage was set ….. Twisters’ last L6 routine of the season - Sydney Sievers’ Floor …the fate of the entire team in her small hands and the weight of the entire season along with Twisters’ place in history resting squarely on her shoulders... According to Ben, BIG was looking to replace a 9.375 and then a 9.40 which, having watched them warm-up, Jenny and I knew they could and likely would do, it was just a matter of degree and what Sydney could muster on Floor. I saw a 9.55 and then a 9. 5 come up on Vault. I calculated a .275 net gain for BIG to give them back a .125 lead…. Then the room stood still and held its breath (or was that just me?) Sydney not only mustered, but nailed her floor routine as well as she could and it was now up to the judges... When a 9.125 was flashed on the scoreboard Twisters became the official 2010 IL L6 Super Team Champions! – BOOYAH!!!!

Dinner of Champions: Vanessa Zamarripa, Midwest Twisters' most decorated gymnast and 4-time National All-Around Champion (now UCLA Bruin Freshman), poses with Olympic Champion Nastia Liukin after a team dinner at which Nastia was the Bruins' honored guest. How cool is that?

Congratulations to the L4 Twisters on a phenomenal finish at the 2008 IL STATE CHAMPIONSHIP!!!!!! Delaney Mikos, Ciara Hampton, Bailey Mrsich, Emma Gradt, and Sydney Sievers won the Children's Age Division Team Title. Cameron Barber and Rebecca Corzine added their scores for an overall 2nd place finish in the Super Team Competition. Among the 320 competing, Twisters won 16 Gold Medals (of a possible 22), 10 Silver, & 4 Bronze. That's 22 of 28 routines resulting in a bronze or better - Level 4's Rock!

2008 L4 State Results	Age Division	Vault	Bars	Beam	Floor	All-Around
Emma Gradt	Ch A	9.45	9.375	9.25	9.35	37.425
Bailey Mrsich	Ch A	9.70	9.70	8.75	9.35	37.50
Sydney Sievers	Ch D	8.90	9.525	8.60	9.05	36.075
Ciara Hampton	Ch D	9.60	9.70	9.475	9.525	38.30
Delaney Mikos	Ch D	9.70	9.80	9.35	9.60	38.45
Cameron Barber	Jr C	9.825	9.25	9.525	9.825	38.425
Rebecca Corzine	Jr D	9.625	9.50	9.20	9.45	37.775
Cydni Malone	Jr A	Did Not Compete - Out w/Chicken Pox
Children's Age Group Team		1st Place - 114.80
Combined Age Group Team		2nd Place - 191.25

Key: Gold Medal; Silver Medal; Bronze Medal; Placed in the top 10

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A Salute to Twisters' Level 5 Team for a strong finish at the 2008 IL State Championship! A standing ovation to Holli Seger L5 State Bar Champ (9.85)!

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Congrats to Renae Oelrich - 2008 Illinois L6 State Champ on Uneven Bars! Renae won the Gold medal with a 9.55 while taking the Bronze medal on Floor (9.35) en route to the All -Around Silver (37.20). Karleigh Mason placed 3rd on Bars (9.20), 5th on Floor (9.175) and 10th AA (35.625). Maia Kinsley captured the Bronze medal on Beam with a 9.25 and finished 9th AA with a 35.30. Beam while placing 9th AA.

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Kudos to Alyssa Dollison and Lindsey Le for a good finish at L7 State. Lindsey was 4th on Floor (9.55), 5th on Bars (9.375), and 6th on Beam (9.55) en route to a 6th place finish AA (37.50). Alyssa finished 8th on Beam (9.40) & 10th AA (37.30). These are 2 HOT youngsters ready for L8.

Hats off to Brittany Bradley who will be advancing to the 2008 Region 5 Championship as a member of the Illinois State Team! This honor is reserved for the top 6 finishers at State. Brittany finished 4th AA with a 36.175 while taking the Bronze Medals on both Bars (9.325) and Beam (8.95), and 6th on Floor (9.40). Way to go Brit!!!

Vanessa added yet another golden moment to her gymnastics resume by winning the 2008 IL L10 State AA Title with a 38.70! She was 1st V (9.875!); 1st on Bars (9.70); 3rd on Beam (9.50); and 3rd FX (9.625)!!! The effort was all the more commendable considering she became queasy following bars. She fought the nausea throughout her beam and floor rotations to finish the meet.

The judges, competitors, and athletes were in awe when Vanessa went to Beam - her warm-up was a showcase of all her most difficult skills performed flawlessly. In competition she broke on her leap series (She reported going "blind" momentarily during the combination). The break resulted in 2 judges deducting .40 and the other 2 deducting .50. Aside from this, there were virtually no deductions and she posted a 9.50. Had she not had a problem with the leap series her score would have been a 9.90 - 10.00! She sat out most of the floor warm-up deciding whether to compete that last event or not. Her discomfort was noticeable as she did her best to complete the routine. It was a very gutsy finish.

Here is a Fact: Illinois is the strongest State in the strongest Region in the Nation! Region 5 (IL, MI, OH, IN, KY) has won the overall team competition the last 5 years straight. 50% of all Region 5's National Qualifiers come from Illinois. Vanessa Zamarripa has been at the top in our state, region, and nation for a long time. Below shows her medal count since entering L10 at the age of 11.

Top Left: Midwest Twisters' Level 8 Team takes first place at the 2007 St Jude Benefit Meet in Peoria. The meet has raised more than $700,000 for children's cancer research over its' 13-year history. The cash team award of $250 was donated back to the effort by Midwest Twisters.

Bottom Left: Level 7 Dynamic Duo Jazmon & Courtney placed first and third All-Around in their respective age divisions at the St Jude Meet.

Bottom Right: Vanessa Zamarripa, USA Junior Olympic National Vault Record-Holder (9.825) & 13-time US National Champ in El Salvador.

Vanessa Zamarripa - 2007 USAG Junior Olympic National All-Around & Balance Beam Champion!!!

	Vault	Bars	Beam	Floor	All-Around	Team Total
Emma	9.375 *	9.55 *	9.45	8.875	37.25
Bailey	9.40 *	9.475 *	9.70	9.475	38.025 *
Ciara	9.525 *	9.225	9.70 *	9.25	37.70
Sydney	9.30 *	9.475 *	9.65 *	9.125	37.55 *
Youth Team Total	28.275	28.50	29.05	27.85		113.675
Cydni	8.9	9.275 *	8.20	8.75	35.125
Becca	9.40 *	8.50	9.375 *	8.95	36.475
Cameron	9.475	9.50	9.90 *	9.525	38.40 *
Junior Team Total	27.775	27.275	27.475	27.225		109.75
Super Team Total	47.15	47.275	48.40	46.325		189.15

2008 L4 State Results	Vault	Bars	Beam	Floor	All-Around
Holli Seger	9.00	9.85	9.125	8.80	36.775
Savanna Stevens	9.05	9.175	9.675	8.60	36.50
Aylissa Skimehorn	9.05	9.525	9.125	8.60	36.30
Hannah McClean	8.775	9.375	9.10	9.00	36.25
Amanda Roskowski	8.45	8.95	9.30	9.25	35.95
Key: Gold Medal; Silver Medal; Bronze Medal; Placed in the top 10

L10/Elite National Medals Won	Vault	Bars	Beam	Floor	All-Around
2002 Jr Olympic National	Bronze
2003 Jr Olympic National	Gold		Silver	Gold	Gold
2004 Jr Olympic National	Gold*	Gold	Silver		Gold
2004 US Elite Challenge	Gold		Gold		Gold
2005 Jr Olympic National	Gold			Bronze	Silver
2006	Did not compete due to injury
2007 Jr Olympic National	Bronze		Gold		Gold
2008 IL AA State Champ; 2008 Region 5 AA Champ	Chose to forego JO Nationals and an unprecedented 4th AA Gold medal in favor of trying to qualify to Visa Nationals. At the requisite National Elite qualifying meet, she finished first after Day 1 (compulsories) and was ready to rock optionals until she sprained her ankle before the 1st event on Day 2 I have no doubt, that had she not been injured she would have qualified easily to Classics and most likely to Visa Nationals (Her new Yurchenko 2/1 full was unbelieveable!). Vanessa has had a great career and will continue her success as a UCLA Bruin!